Charter government, also called home rule, would enable Boone County to determine the structure of the county government and to pass its own ordinances, as long as they comply with state and federal laws. Without home rule, the Missouri Constitution gives the state legislature the power to govern the structure of county governments. State law requires a three-member county commission and the election of county officials.

State law also requires that the county look to the General Assembly and the governor to pass specific ordinances or to give it the authority to pass regulations. Legislators usually tack those sorts of bills onto larger measures as amendments.

The constitution provides a way for counties to establish their own forms of government through a charter. The first step would be for the Boone County Commission to ask voters whether a committee should be established to draft a charter. A citizens' petition also can start the process.

Next judges from the 13th Judicial Circuit would select the 14 members of the bipartisan committee to write a draft constitution. The committee would have a year to draft the document and present it to voters. The county commission would have no control over the contents of the charter.

Boone County voters have twice approved the formation of a committee to draft a charter, but they rejected the charters written by those committees. In 1981, a petition led to the creation of a committee. In 1995, the county commission put it on the ballot.

Before his death, Robb had said the previous charters failed to win voter support because they called for overhauling the structure of county government. He had hoped the next charter proposal would be far simpler, giving Boone County the authority to pass its own ordinances and perhaps increasing the size of the commission.

Fugit is more optimistic about home rule. Like Robb, he thinks the 1996 charter was rejected because it proposed sweeping changes to county government.

“In the past they’ve come in with so many changes that people, in my opinion, weren’t willing to make these radical changes,” Fugit said.

He wants to keep the same structure of government under a charter. Fugit said that though current Boone County state legislators have been able to get bills passed to make changes in the county, that might not always be the case.

“I don’t want to leave Boone County at the whims of Jeff City politics,” Fugit said.

Robbins said that though he thinks it would be good for Boone County to be able to pass its own laws, he is hesitant to support making positions appointed rather than elected.

“It would have to be carefully tailored,” Robbins said.

Although he would support a charter that left the current structure of government intact, Robbins said he did not plan to immediately push for home rule if he becomes a commissioner.

Similarly, Bormann said he thinks home rule would be a good thing.

“Your decision-making process is more of a local process than a state process, and that’s generally a good idea,” Bormann said. “I would support that idea.”

Still, Bormann noted that he voted against both previous charters. He thinks the main reason they failed was that they did away with elected positions.

“I thought they were horrible charters,” Bormann said. “They tried to make too many changes to county government.”

James Pounds is running for Southern District commissioner as a Republican. Karen Miller, a Democrat, is running for re-election.

Pounds said he likes the sound of home rule and would support putting the question to voters.

“It sounds good,” Pounds said. “That way the county is in charge of their own destiny, but I think the voters ought to decide it.”

Miller said she will not support putting home rule on the ballot until there is support for the idea from people in the county, especially those who live in rural areas.

"I think it's something the citizens need to bring forward rather than having the government bring it up," Miller said. "It needs to be decided by the rural people whose only local government it is."